Sooners Drop Instant Classic at No. 24 West Virginia

Saturday, February 17

Morgantown, W.Va.

12 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

18-7,12-2Big 12

West Virginia

22-3,11-3Big 12

Oklahoma

West Virginia

Sooners Drop Instant Classic at No. 24 West Virginia

February 17, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Stats

By: OU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Ja'Naiya Quinerly scored 18 points and No. 24 West Virginia edged No. 22 Oklahoma 70-66 on Saturday, ending the Sooners' nine-game winning streak.

The Mountaineers won despite almost losing a seven-point lead in the final 30 seconds and missing two free throws with 6.5 seconds left.

After Jordan Harrison made 1 of 2 free throws with 28.5 seconds remaining for a 68-61 lead — West Virginia's biggest lead of the game — Nevaeh Tot quickly made a layup and then a turnover became a Tot 3-pointer with 7.6 seconds to go.

Oklahoma fouled reserve Travy Diggs at 6.5 seconds and the 65% free throw shooter missed both. Tot was fouled on the drive with a second left. A 72% foul shooter, Tot missed the first and had a lane violation on the second.

Harrison made both foul shots with .3 to go end it.

Diggs had 12 points for the Mountaineers (22-3, 11-3 Big 12), who started a three-game stretch against ranked teams. Kyah Watson had 11 points and nine rebounds and Harrison 10 points, nine assists and four steals. The sophomore Harrison passed 300 career assists.

Payton Verhulst had 20 points to lead Oklahoma (18-7, 12-2), who had won four-straight in the series and six-straight at West Virginia. Tot had 12 points. Lexy Keys and Skylar Vann both had 11 points with Vann grabbing 14 rebounds.

West Virginia has forced at least 20 turnovers in all but two games this season and Oklahoma, which hadn't had 20 giveaways in 13 games, had 25, which led to 23 points. The Mountaineers only had nine turnovers.

Diggs helped West Virginia to a 27-10 advantage in bench scoring and 36-22 in points in the paint.

Oklahoma went 13 of 21 behind the arc (62%) with Verhulst going 6 of 8.

Keys opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers and Sahara Williams made it 8-0, Oklahoma's biggest lead of the game, but West Virginia crawled back to tie the game at 18 after one quarter. Verhulst hit her fourth 3 in the last minute of the second quarter for a 32-31 lead, just the fourth time the Mountaineers trailed at the break.

Verhulst hit her fifth 3-pointer in the last minute of the third quarter to give the Sooners a 48-47 lead heading to the fourth.

Oklahoma is at Cincinnati on Tuesday and tip is set for 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.